Red
by aceofspades650
Summary: Most ninja avoid red, but some choose to embrace it. These are their reasons why.


Red

Most ninja hate the color red. It is the color of blood, sin, and offers little to no camouflage. Of course the traditional jounin and chunin outfits include the red swirl on the sleeve, but to them that just helps them remember how much blood is on their hands that they'll never get off. Some, however, chose to wear it with pride. The ones that are adorned in it willingly all wear different shades and have their different reasons of wearing it. To list a few of the red loving ninjas there are; Kurenai, Sakura, Kakashi, Temari, Tsunade, and Gaara.

They are some of the most vicious killers you will ever encounter.

Kurenai wears ruby red. She wears it to charm enemies with plump lips, large eyes, and a beautiful body that is accented with hints of red.

Kurenai fights in a way that some would think is almost humane, after all, with most genjutsu you don't even know you're dying. That's what's sick about it. Not being able to defend yourself. You die without a hope or a chance to fight. To call it humane is almost laughable to people who understand that. She disables them with those striking features, accented by ruby, and puts them at ease while taking away their will to fight.

Sakura started wearing cherry red at a young age. At that age she wore it because she thought it looked good against her eyes and complemented her hair. Now that she is a jounin and in ANBU, she wears it as a warning, and a show of power. Most of all she wears it to show she's not weak. It also helps that blood doesn't show up as well on it. After all, her fights often get gory.

There is absolutely no way Sakura's fighting style could be called humane, even by an idiot. She is a force to be reckoned with and she's out to prove she doesn't need her teammates to save her, especially after she joined ANBU. The only warning you get is a flash of a red shirt and pink hair and then you are thrown into a fierce fight, and you regret ever underestimating the pink haired kunoichi. She smashes and crushes brutally with her fist, tearing through barriers and bodies. She slices easily through necks with chakra scalpels from years of medic training, but just as easily she breaks skulls with the same hands with a slight tightening of her fingers. All the while her cherry red shirt turns a darker color as she is bathed in the blood of her foes.

Kakashi doesn't always wear scarlet. Whenever he's in his plain jounin fatigues there is no red to be spoken of. The common green and blue of Konoha uniforms are the only colors that greet you, and the plate on his headband is over his eye. Then his ANBU attire is put on, along with a scarlet scarf, and the eye is uncovered. His red shows others of his past. His past is blood filled from the time he was a small child. Now the blood is so heavy on him that you can't even see what lies beneath, but he covers that in his jounin uniform. Mission after mission, blood of friends and adversaries alike coat him. His scarf and that cursed eye with his ANBU attire is what remains that he doesn't have to hide. It is his way of showing just how blood covered he is.

His fighting style is silent, deadly, and efficient. He is perfectly suited for assassination missions, and many Hokages have used him for that purpose with a sad shake of their heads to dead childhoods. Then Kakashi is donning the ANBU fatigues and adding his red. He is out to terminate his target; the only thing that remains is the swish of the scarlet scarf and the smell of blood.

Temari wears crimson. It is used as a memento her of her lost childhood, and the blood she has spent looking out for her family. Over the years her sash has become more vibrant in hue. Every time she replaced it in her teenage years it was traded in for one that was more brilliant. The obi became brighter as a reminder of the ones that she protects, her treasured brothers.

Temari's fights are like whirlwinds, literally. Wind swirls everywhere. The point of its origin is her huge tessen. It rips enemies off their feet and sends them flying in every direction. Her weapon matches her personality; it's fast and dramatic. She decimates whole buildings with a sweep of her fan. She kills and the red blood blends into her obi. Some of the blood may be hers, but she thinks of her siblings and reminds herself that this is for them, and it's all worth it. The crimson obi floats in her whirlwind behind her, like a bloody flag.

Tsunade wears much less red than most of them. Just dabs of shinny carmine on her finger and toe nails. Hers acts as a reminder. It's a reminder of just how short life is and the color of it when a life ends. It also helps so that blood of comrades and enemies' blood alike won't show up much under her finger nails after she heals or kills on the battlefield. They also are used as a memento of how kunoichi can be beautiful and deadly when her perfectly manicured toe nails connected to a crushing foot are landing a crumpling blow on an adversary.

Tsunade's fights much like Sakura. After all, she was the girl's inspiration. She is loud, impressive, and destructive. She can level whole cities with a well-placed kick or punch. Tsunade delivers skull crushing hits easily and uses her medic chakra to heal and destroy. She has lost so many that she fights without holding back, no concern for her own well-being. Tsunade knows that if she loses she will join her loved ones, and she happily accepts that fact. She is determined to not lose another, and as her hands become bathed in red, her nails need no help.

Gaara's robes are maroon. The same color as blood after it has dried. His are a memoire of his past and a foretelling of his future. As a child Gaara was almost always blood covered, he killed mercilessly and he always had the maroon color under his nails. Now the killings are only when necessary, but it happens often. Many times, after an assassination attempt is made known, many ninja rush in to the Kazekages' quarters. There is no need for them though, as the blood is already starting to dry on Gaara, and the color matches his robes. There is never any doubt that the flecks on his skin will be there again, and the color will coordinate with his outfit almost exactly.

Gaara has many different ways to kill. None of his methods are forgiving or kind. He crushes and smashes and it reminds others of why he became the Kazekage. He is incredibly efficient; no true enemies walk away from a fight with him. He can level almost any opponent with little thought. If one has the guts to attack the Kazekage, they can almost guarantee themselves a meeting with the Shinigami. He does it all to protect the village that he has come to love. After his outfit gets splattered with blood, it cools and is almost indiscernible on the robes. But it is definitely there, and it always will be.

While all of them have different jobs, responsibilities, fighting styles, and secrets to keep, they are connected by that cursed color, red.

* * *

Hey kids! Hope you all like this one! I was thinking about all the ninjas that happen to wear red, and my imagination (as always) went overboard. (Also, looking up all the different shades of red didn't help me stop thinking about writing this...) As I'm typing this note, I just started thinking about some other red wearing nins. Maybe if you guys are interested I could write them, and make this a multi-chapter thing. Let me know if you dolls would like for me to type that up! BTW this is unbetad, so if you see any mistakes they are all mine. Thanks for reading, and I always love to hear from you all!


End file.
